728 CHARLES PAUL ALEXANDER 



Asilidae (robber flies) Prey 



Lasiopogon cinctus (Fabr.) Nephrotoma lineata (Scop.) (Poulton, 1906-07, 



as histrio [Fabr.]) 

 Neoitamuscyanurus (Lw.) (in copulation with Tipula scripta Meig. (Poulton, 1906-07) 



female, the latter with the crane-fly) 



Proctacanthus philadelphicus Macq. Nephrotoma sp. (2 records, Bromley, 1914) 



Asilus sp. Nephrotoma ferruginea (Fabr.) (3 records, 



Alexander, 1915 c) 



Asilus flavofemoratus Hine Tipula sp. (McAtee and Banks, 1920:30) 



Asilus notatus Wied. Nephrotoma ferruginea (Fabr.) (McAtee and 



Banks, 1920:31) 

 Asilus paropus Walk. Epiphragma solatrix (O. S.) (McAtee and 



Banks, 1920:31) 

 Asilinae Tipula lateralis Meig. (Poulton, 1906-07) 



The Empididae, or dance flies, are small, predacious flies which are closely related to the 

 robber flies and largely replace them in moist shaded situations. They unquestionably 

 play a most important part in the economy of the Tipulidae, since both groups are practically 

 confined to the same general situations and, in the temperate regions at least, representatives 

 of the two groups are invariably found together. Macquart (Kirby, 1892:229), discussing 

 Empis livida Linn., writes as follows: " Among the thousands of pairs which I have noticed 

 resting on bushes or hedges, nearly all the females were engaged in sucking some insect, 

 sometimes small Phryganidae or Ephemeridae, but more often Tipulidae. They busy 

 themselves with feeding and perpetuating their species at the same time." Hewlett (1907) 

 records Empis borealis Linn, as feeding on Tipulidae. The following records are from 

 Poulton (1906-07:380-382): Empis tesselata Fabr. preys on Tipula lunata Linn., T. 

 paludosa Meig., and other species; Empis livida Linn, preys on Dicranomyia sp. (It is 

 probable that the long-legged flies, Dolichopodidae, likewise play an important r61e in 

 the lives of the Tipulidae, but no records are available to the writer to confirm this belief.) 



The Scatophagidae (Cordyluridae) , or dung flies, unquestionably play an important part 

 hi the lives of the smaller crane-flies (Limnobiinae). The following records indicate this 

 relationship, the last being supplied by Malloch: 



Enemy Prey 



Scatophaga suilla (Fabr.) Dicranomyia lutea (Meig.) (Poulton, 1906-07) 



Scatophaga sp. (stercoraria?) Erioptera sp. (Poulton, 1906-07) 



Scatophaga sp. Hexatoma megacera (O. S.) (Alexander, 1915 c^ 



Scatophag aster cor aria (L.) and squalida Meig. Trichocera (Malloch, 1911) 



Comparatively recently the larvae of Anthomyiidae have been found 

 to play a highly important role in the economy of other insects living in 

 the same haunts. The very important paper by Keilin (1917) may be 

 consulted in connection with this point. This student found the follow- 

 ing Anthomyiidae associated with Tipulidae: Graphomyia maculata Scop., 

 feeding on larvae of Ptychoptera contaminata (L.) (Keilin, 1917:354-360); 

 Allognota agromyzina Fall., associated with and possibly feeding on the 

 larvae of Ula macroptera Macq. (page 380-362 of reference cited); 

 Phaonia cincta Zett., feeding on larvae and pupae of Mycetobia pallipes 

 (page 362-375 of reference); Phaonia goberti Mik, associated with and 

 possibly feeding on the larvae of Gnophomyia tripudians Bergr. (page 



